A 29-year-old hiker was attacked earlier this week in Yellowstone National Park, plus millennia-old petroglyphs were reportedly damaged during construction at an Arizona church. Outside has you covered in this edition of our weekly news roundup.
A Bear Attacked a Hiker in Yellowstone National Park
A 29-year-old solo hiker was hospitalized after a bear attacked him in Yellowstone National Park.
The National Park Service said in a press release that the hiker was walking alone along the Turbid Lake Trail, northeast of Yellowstone Lake’s Mary Bay, on September 16, when he ran into the bear. The hiker attempted to use his bear spray to ward off the animal, but he still suffered “significant but non-life-threatening injuries to his chest and left arm.”
Turbid Lake Trail remains closed in the wake of the attack.
On September 18, the NPS stated that the hiker was treated for his injuries and released from the hospital, according to the National Park Service. Officials investigated the attack site, discovered grizzly tracks near the trail, as well as the carcass of a dead animal.
Here’s How to Cheat at an International Stone Skimming Championship
The World Stone Skimming Championships (WSSC), an annual international tournament for long-distance rock skimming, or skipping, is marred by a scandal after organizers said that multiple competitors admitted to cheating during the 2025 competition.
Organizers of the event, which was held on September 6 on Easdale Island, Scotland, wrote on Facebook on September 10 that numerous participants admitted to breaking the rules.
How, exactly, does one cheat at rock skimming? By doctoring their stones, of course.
Southwest Petroglyphs Survived 1,000 Years—Until a Church Underwent Construction
A series of petroglyphs estimated to be between 700 and 1,000 years old was allegedly damaged by construction crews renovating a church north of Phoenix, Arizona.
Phoenix city officials told Outside that when city staff went to the site on September 12, it appeared as if rocks, including those that contained the petroglyphs, may have “been pushed around by heavy machinery.” The stones were not removed from the property, officials said.
The full extent of the damage is unclear, though some social media users have stated that the petroglyphs were “bulldozed.” Petroglyphs in Arizona are protected by the Archaeological Resources Protection Act. State laws also provide for both felony and misdemeanor prosecution with imprisonment and fines.
“We are still gathering background information about the petroglyphs in question, but records suggest that the petroglyphs date between 1000 and 1300 AD,” officials added.
The post This Week in News: Yellowstone Bear Attack and Scandal at the Stone Skimming Championship appeared first on Outside Online.
